author & ghostwriter
This is my first Hemingway novel. It's a quick read and struck me for being so detached. The writing style seems indifferent by nature, focusing little on the main character's emotions and more on dialogue. I don't know if Hemingway's writing is like this in other novels. It isn't bad: the way the main character … Continue reading A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
In my final reflection on David Copperfield (for now), I want to muse on a paragraph which appears to me as a living, direct link to the author and what he stood for. It is a reflection on the homeless of his time--and ours. In context: still a child, David Copperfield has escaped horrific months … Continue reading David Copperfield: The Call to Action
The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery. This is the original title of Charles Dickens' eighth novel, published in serial form in the year 1850. Now sold as a 700-page book, it was originally released in 19 monthly one-shilling installments. This makes for a delightfully long story … Continue reading David Copperfield: Intro
Merry Christmas! I hope you've had a blessed day! Every year at around this time, I read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It is my favorite book, because Scrooge's experiences with the Ghosts of Christmas make me reflect on my own life. The link between his story and our lives might be difficult to admit. … Continue reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Every couple of years, I find myself in the mood once more to read the Harry Potter series. The story never gets old; it's earned itself a special place in my heart. I think people are still drawn to these books because they feel like home. When thousands of people gather to read a story, … Continue reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Belly of Paris is a unique, fast-paced novel about justice, revolution, and hunger. It is the third book in a 20-part series titled Les Rougon-Macqyart. The series examines two branches of a family: the respectable (legitimate) side, and the disreputable (illegitimate.) The third installment follows Florent Quenu, a French convict who escaped exile in … Continue reading The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola
Occasionally we find books so beautifully written that it seems the style, not the plot, keeps us turning pages. Though translated from its original French, Swann's Way did not lose its beauty in the process: every sentence reads like a verse from an old, nostalgic poem. As an example: Meanwhile the scenery of his dream-stage … Continue reading Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
My second book, Serenade, has been available on Kindle for a few weeks now, but I didn't want to write a blog post about it until you could get it on paperback. Now it's all set up (get your paper copy here!) and I can finally gush about it. This is the second book following … Continue reading The Late Serenade Announcement
There is a curious emptiness many writers feel when a project is finally done. I've finished editing Serenade, and find myself searching for ways to pass the time—plotting a new novel, or working on my TBR pile. It's tempting to keep searching the document for things to edit, but I've already made all the changes … Continue reading On Finishing Serenade & Old Clichés
Crickets sang in chorus, a merry song dancing around like freedom. Fireflies drifted from bush to bush, their light bringing sparkle to the hollow. They couldn't outshine the moon, a familiar face in the sky; some believed it saw and knew all. In the light of the moon, I caught a firefly in a my … Continue reading The Hopelessness of a Firefly
The Faerie Ring follows the story of a pickpocket named Tiki. She lives with several other homeless children in Victorian London; together they make a family, looking out for each other when things get rough. When the youngest child, Clara, falls ill with consumption, they find themselves facing a huge hospital bill. It's more than they … Continue reading Book Review: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
old words on crisp paper, new words in my racing mind... ideas vanishing like vapor, foreign colors - make me blind... love is written with four letters symbols - stare until they're vague; humans chasing it, like beggars fail to find it, die of rage - for old words on crisp paper undying love can't … Continue reading Poem: Old Words
Mariella Hunt 